Plasma arc cutting is a known technique for cutting metallic materials, such as steels, aluminum, and the like. A plasma arc apparatus may include a plasma arc torch used to generate an arc of sufficient power to cut a material having a given thickness. In known plasma torch operations, a cut may be performed by initiating a cut along an edge of a workpiece. Such cuts may be appropriate for separating one section of a metal plate from an adjacent section. Alternatively, a plasma torch operation may be initiated by piercing through a metal plate to establish an isolated hole. From this point, a cutting operation may remove a section, such as a circular section from within a larger plate.
At a given amperage applied to a workpiece, a plasma torch may be able to cut a thicker material of a given metal (from the side) than can be pierced in a hole. For cutting a metal at these thicknesses, the cut accordingly needs to begin at the edge of the material being cut. This factor limits the applications for a given power supply and precludes the possibility of cutting holes in the given material at that power.
With respect to these and other considerations, the present disclosure is provided.